


Imperial Trek

by venndaai



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:39:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/venndaai/pseuds/venndaai
Summary: A collection of Star Trek/Imperial Radch crossovers. yep.First chapter: Lieutenant Geordi LaForge is very close to her ship.





	

“I'm sorry,” Geordi said. “I'm not sure why this isn't working.”

“It is all right,” the _Enterprise_ said in her ear. The voice was as pleasant and emotionless as ever, but it didn't ease Geordi's feeling of guilt and disappointment.

“It should be working,” she said. She stared angrily down at the robotic body. It wasn't very far advanced aesthetically. She'd come up with a lot of plans to work on that, once the connection problems were sorted out, though she hadn't shared those with the ship yet. But it was looking more and more like that wasn't going to be relevant.

“You can control the ship,” she said. “You can remotely control the shuttles if you have to. Why can't you control this?”

“I don't know, sir.”

“Ship,” Geordi said, and sighed. “You don't have to call me sir.”

It made her a bit uncomfortable, to be honest. She'd never thought anyone would call her sir. Maybe other people's grandchildren, when she was old. Her parents had been officers in the military, but their house name, always modest, had fallen long before Geordi's birth, and then most of their savings had gone to raising and educating a blind daughter. Geordi had been a maintenance worker when Captain Picard had met her on McKinley Station and come up with the idea of connecting her optic nerve to an artificial intelligence. The _Enterprise_ had been in the process of phasing out ancillaries then, and after she'd successfully adjusted to seeing through the _Enterprise's_ eyes, she'd retaken the Aptitudes, and yes, scored pretty highly, but she didn't have family, didn't have connections. She'd fully expected to be a common soldier in the decades for life.

She'd been okay with that, if she could stay with _Enterprise_.

But she'd been promoted, and now it wasn't just _Enterprise_ calling her Sir, it was every soldier in _Enterprise's_ six decades, and she was in charge of maintaining and improving all of _Enterprise's_ systems, and to be honest, it was terrifying.

Maybe that was why she'd gotten so focused on this project.

“Maybe we should try the hologram idea again instead.”

“Perhaps you should go to bed, Lieutenant,” the _Enterprise_ said. “You have been awake for sixteen point seven hours. I believe you are in need of 'forty winks'.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Trying out colloquialisms again, Ship?”

“Medic Beverly suggested I needed more practice.”

Geordi couldn't help but wonder if Medic was feeling particularly irritated at the Captain today.

“All right,” she said. “Esk One, you're relieved.” Around her, her soldiers sighed or whooped in relief.

On the way to her quarters, she passed Lieutenant Deanna. The Issa Head Lieutenant looked beautiful and perfect as always. Geordi fought back the urge to bow. Deanna's house was very exalted, and everyone knew she was only senior lieutenant of a lesser decade like Issa because she wanted to be.

“Lieutenant, hello,” Deanna said. “How are you doing?”

“Heading to bed,” Geordi said, stifling a yawn.

“Looks like you need it,” she said, smiling. “Look, Geordi. Begging your indulgence, could we speak soon?”

“Sure,” Geordi said. “Uh. Tomorrow morning?”

“Wonderful,” she said. “Sleep well. Pleasant dreams.”

Geordi thought she was probably too tired to dream, but she smiled and nodded anyway.

She didn't really remember the walk to her quarters after that, didn't remember Two Esk Thirteen undressing her, but it must have happened, because when _Enterprise_ said softly in her ear, “Please wake up, Lieutenant,” she was lying on her bunk in her underclothes, unconsciousness trying to drag her back down. Spot was a heavy, purring weight on her stomach.

She had the feeling Ship had been trying to wake her for a few minutes. “Sorry, Ship,” she muttered. “Uh. What time is it?”

“You have been asleep for two and a half hours. I apologize for the interruption, but the captain wishes to see you immediately.”

That gave her a jolt of anxiety that got her up and out of her bunk, reaching for her clothes. It was near pitch darkness in her quarters, but that didn't matter when she was seeing through the two small cameras installed near the ceiling, the eyes of the ship that saw in infrared. It had taken her a lot of bumping into things and reaching in wrong directions before she'd adjusted to looking at herself from odd angles, but now she moved almost indistinguishably from everyone else, and she could do it in the dark, with her eyes closed, drunk or hungover.

An Esk soldier- Two Esk Three- entered and helped her finish fastening her uniform buttons. “Ship,” she said. “Can you tell me what this is about?”

There was a long pause before the voice in her ear said, “I believe it would be more efficient for the captain to explain.”

She was probably being fired. Her whole body tensed at that thought, and the bottom dropped out of her stomach. Leaving the _Enterprise_ wouldn't just mean losing her sight. Ship would never get a body of her own. That was probably what this was about. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was angry at her for wasting resources on a personal project.

The lights in the corridor outside were bright as always. For Two Esk, this was late morning. Geordi privately resented every cheerful face she and Two Esk Three passed on their way to the lifts.

The captain's quarters were on Enterprise Deck, four decks up from Esk. Geordi spent the ride in nervous panic. She really wished Ship would speak to her, but she didn't want to bug Ship. Ship's long pause and uncharacteristic reticence were gnawing at her.

The captain's ready room was not very large. Two Esk Three bowed and waited outside. Geordi entered alone. She bowed very low to the captain. Her vision flicked between the beige walls, the transparent model of the Enterprise, the collection of rocks and archeological artifacts along one wall. One added benefit of her kind of sight was that the captain couldn't tell where she was looking. She could see the captain from three different angles. She was nursing an enormous cup of extremely dark tea, looking just as tired as Geordi felt. Geordi found herself staring at the captain's bald head, and wrenched her attention away, face heating.

“Lieutenant,” Captain Jean-Luc said. “At ease.”

Geordi tried to relax. It didn't really work.

“Sit down,” Jean-Luc said.

Geordi more collapsed on the couch than sat on it. This was somehow going to be worse than being fired. The captain wouldn't be nice if she was firing her. Her thoughts swooped terribly downwards to her parents. To Arriana. She could see the captain delivering bad news in person. She would think it was her duty.

The captain moved her chair so that she could sit across from Geordi. She folded her gloved hands in her lap.

“Lieutenant,” Jean-Luc said. “You know we will be docking at Ligon Palace tomorrow.”

Geordi blinked, an odd automatic reaction that happened sometimes when she was confused. “Yes, sir.”

“Well,” Jean-Luc continued. “I have just received a communication informing me that the Lord of the Radch will be boarding us there. She will be traveling with us on our trip to Cardassia, in order to observe the situation there.”

That was a surprise. Geordi had never seen Anaander Mianaai, but she knew that her visits were generally announced far in advance, and accompanied by some fanfare. Not foretold the night before, in quiet communications.

Jean-Luc stood up, and turned her back to Geordi, folding her hands behind her. Geordi recognized the tells. The captain was deeply uncomfortable with something.

“We will, of course, accord her the deepest respect,” she said. “She will be given every privilege and consideration, and each senior lieutenant will provide her a tour of their respective decks. I know you will all perform your duty to the fullest extent of propriety.”

Maybe, Geordi thought, this was because she'd come out of the decades. Maybe the captain was just worried she might make a mistake in manners and shame the ship, and she'd been too embarrassed to bring it up in public.

But she knew that wasn't it. This wouldn't be happening in the middle of both their sleep shifts if that were it.

“Lieutenant,” Jean-Luc said abruptly, “I trust your optic implants are functioning acceptably?”

“Very, sir,” Geordi said. “They seem to work better every day. Frankly, sir- begging your generous indulgence- the experience has been incredible.”

“Good,” Jean-Luc said. “And of course you've had to work very closely with the ship, to coordinate this.”

“Uh,” Geordi said. “Yes, of course. I think we make a great team.”

“I'm sure you do,” the captain said, and sighed. Her locked hands twitched. “You've established a very close rapport with our ship, Lieutenant. I'd say you're more familiar with its... quirks... than any other officer on board.”

“Well,” Geordi said. “I don't know if I'd go that far-”

“While the Lord of the Radch is here,” Jean-Luc interrupted, “I want this ship, and its AI, running exactly to standards. No quirks. The Lord of the Radch might find them distracting.”

Geordi didn't say anything, trying to work this out.

“And any personal projects,” Jean-Luc added. “The Lord of the Radch doesn't need to have her time wasted with those, either.”

“Oh,” Geordi said.

“She'll probably want to know about your visual implants. They are, after all, a unique success, and something we are all very proud of.” The captain finally turned back around, and smiled faintly. “I'm very glad we met three years ago, Lieutenant. You've been an irreplaceable asset to this crew.”

“Oh,” Geordi said again, a lump in her throat.

“Please think carefully about what I've said,” Jean-Luc told her. “Dismissed.”

Geordi bowed even lower than before, and fled.

When she entered her quarters again, Spot twined around her legs, meowing at her. Geordi picked the cat up, and sat with her on the bunk, petting her. Every ship had peculiarities, everyone knew that. A pet wasn't that odd, comparatively. The poetry was maybe more unusual. The mystery novels were, all right, a little strange, from some perspectives. The desire for a physical body- well, in Geordi's opinion, that was perfectly natural. Taking away all of _Enterprise's_ ancillaries at once had been cruel.

Spot meowed again, and nipped at her, though her teeth didn't pierce the fabric of Geordi's gloves. Geordi let her go. She sprang down and then up onto the wardrobe.

The captain had been very worried.

“Ship,” Geordi said.

Immediately- “Lieutenant?”

“There's nothing wrong with you,” Geordi said. “I just wanted to say that. You're- I think you're perfect. Probably the best ship in the fleet.”

“Even my poetry?” There was something- different- about the voice. Geordi focused, tried to figure out what it was. “I know you don't like it.”

“I just think it needs work, that's all!” Geordi protested. “But- I think it's great that you write it. Honestly.” The lump in her throat was back.

“Thank you, Geordi,” _Enterprise_ said. “I think you are perfect, too.”

 

She couldn't get back to sleep, after that. She hung around with Two Esk, putting away all signs of the mech project, until Ship told her Lieutenant Deanna was awake. Then she went and stood outside her door while Ship told Deanna she was there, and then the door slid open. At least Deanna looked a little rumpled. Even she wasn't perfect all the time.

“I brought breakfast,” Geordi said, offering a tray of skel.

“We haven't done the morning cast yet,” Deanna said. “But I suppose Amaat might forgive a breach in protocol just this once.”

As she entered, _Enterprise_ changed her access from the corridor cameras to the ones in Deanna's quarters, and, even more oddly, to Deanna's own vision, transmitted to Ship from her implants. Geordi looked at her own face, embarrassed by the nervousness that was evident there.

They sat on cushions on the floor. Deanna's quarters were full of hints of her personality, calm and soothing. She smiled at Geordi.

“Don't worry, Lieutenant,” she said. “This isn't an interrogation. Just a friendly chat.”

“But there is something specific you want to talk about,” Geordi said.

“Well, yes.” Deanna reached out, and put a gloved hand on top of Geordi's. “You must realize, by now, that you're one of this ship's favorites.”

Geordi felt herself blush. She'd had the thought, but it had seemed so presumptuous. There were thirteen other senior officers on the ship. Most of them had served with _Enterprise_ a lot longer than Geordi had.

“In fact,” Deanna said, “I think it might care for you a great deal more than it has cared about any officer in the past.”

Geordi laughed a little. “You can't be serious,” she said.

“I am,” Deanna said. She squeezed Geordi's hand. “I like to think I am very familiar with ships, and how they work, think, and feel,” she said. “I have never heard of a ship confiding in an officer as this one confides in you. I hear the two of you talking, you know. It's like you're talking to another person.”

“I don't see why she isn't a person,” Geordi said, emotions rising up and pushing their way out of her mouth. “She has likes and dislikes just like us, she's curious, she wants to learn and feel, she's much more intelligent than any of us-” She stopped, swallowing.

“Lieutenant,” Deanna said. “You just called the ship 'she'.”

Geordi felt ice creep across her spine as she realized something. Why the captain had been so tense- almost afraid. She realized that Anaander Mianaai would be on board later today, for reasons unclear. That she would have access to the AI core, and would almost certainly use that access. That she might well listen to this very conversation they had just had.

That she might decide that a ship with so much personality was a problem waiting to happen, and order _Enterprise_ to get rid of it.

“I'm sorry,” she said, standing up. “I need to go. There's a problem with the engine- I need to- I need to go.”

“Geordi,” Deanna called. But Geordi was already gone.

Back in her quarters she laid on her bunk and hyperventilated.

Anaander Mianaai would see this. Would see her panic and fear, and understand what it meant. Would know that Geordi LaForge, senior Esk lieutenant, cared more, in this moment, for a ship, an AI, a thing, than for Anaander, for the Radch, for Justice, Propriety, or Benefit.

“Lieutenant,” _Enterprise_ said. “Please calm down. It will be all right.”

But it wouldn't be.


End file.
